Biophilic Design

Biophilic Design is the intentional incorporation and mimicking of natural patterns which feel good to people. It comes as no surprise that we feel better out in nature; what you might not know is that research has shown that incorporating these patterns in the built environment actually helps people heal faster, be more productive at work, and learn better at school. There are a full range of strategies that we apply to bring the benefits of nature to your property. Here are some:

Presence of water: One of the strongest beneficial patterns is the presence of clean, flowing water.

Natural Shapes: People tend to respond better to curves and other natural shapes in landscape designs as opposed to straight lines and right angles.

Natural Materials: Wherever possible, we prefer using natural stone and wood over plastic, metal or concrete.

Living Walls and Roofs: Sometimes the best place for plants is not on the ground! Living walls and roofs add rich natural presence in places we are not used to having nature.

Landscape Design Philosophy

Landscape design is the marriage of beauty and function. We artfully craft our landscape designs to meet the goals of our clients while enhancing the attraction of the space. Consideration for feel, use, care for the Earth, and cost are all blended to produce designs that looks and feel good for the long term.

We specialize in residential landscape design. Need a new outdoor entertainment area? Want to design the perfect space to grow lots of fruits and vegetables? Prefer to plant a lush, inviting yard that uses hardly any water? Call us to discuss your landscape design dreams.

Greywater

Greywater is simply the water that flows out of your washer, sinks and tubs. It can be re-used in your landscape to water plants instead of being wasted down the drain. Systems can be easy or complex depending on the the orientation of the fixtures and the land. We always consider greywater as a possibility in doing a comprehensive water design.

What does a greywater landscape look like? The greywater itself is typically hidden out of site. It is used to water trees and shrubs, either closer to or down slope from the source of greywater. Greywater can be used with new or existing trees and shrubs (and to a lesser extend smaller plans) but new plants tend to work best.

Trees

As an arborist certified with the International Association of Arboriculture, Damien understands what trees need and how they work. This helps him to preserve valuable trees already in the landscape as well as helping you to choose trees which will enrich your landscape for decades to come. He has an abundant knowledge especially about fruit trees.

Permaculture

Permaculture is an international movement that came out of the marriage of ecology, agriculture, and landscape design. It uses patterns and principles found in nature to help meet human needs while improving surrounding ecosystems. While commonly associated with growing food, Permaculture design is also useful for managing stormwater or reducing your household’s energy needs, among other things.

Damien has been through the Permaculture Design Certification process as well as the Permaculture teachers training. He has taught and practiced practiced Permaculture for many years, including at Geoff Lawton’s Jordan Valley Permaculture Project in Jordan.

Rain Gardens & Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is an ancient technique for using resources which are on site. Our modern water treatment and distribution system is complicated and energy intensive. Using rainwater captured on site can help benefit local streams while also saving money on water for irrigation. Harvesting can be more passive and low-tech (rain gardens and infiltration swales) or more active and high tech (cisterns and rain tanks).